Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center is a project of Environment America Research & Policy Center, which is a 501(c)(3) organization. We are dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces.

We should be able to power our lives without polluting our environment. We have the ability to produce and consume energy and still enjoy healthy communities — and give our children and their children a livable future. That’s why we’re calling on cities, universities, businesses, and our state governments to commit to 100% renewable energy.

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Recycling rates in major cities throughout Minnesota reveal one of the better states in the nation in terms of waste management. Yet, there is still plenty of room for improvement. According to the most recent study, Minnesota’s statewide recycling rate of 43.6 percent eclipses the 2015 national average of 34.7 percent. Part of Minnesota’s success can be attributed to the creation of specific goals and strategies. By 2030, Minnesota plans to achieve a 75 percent recycling rate for counties in the Twin Cities Metro area and a 35 percent rate in Greater Minnesota by 2030.

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Facilities storing billions of gallons of toxic waste threaten America’s rivers and millions of people who live near them, according to a new report from the Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center, U.S. PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group.

Minneapolis, MN - Mayors from every U.S. state including Minnesota are embracing a vision for more solar energy in their communities, as stated in a letter released today by Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center. The group of over 200 “Mayors for Solar Energy” represents cities and towns in states from Florida to Alaska, California to Maine, including Mayor Jacob Frey in Minneapolis.

Washington, D.C. --Authorization for the nation’s most successful conservation and recreation program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), expired on Sunday. Failure by Congress to save this essential program will put the outdoor places we love and America’s recreational economy at extreme risk. The LCWF is a bipartisan program that protects and preserves our national parks, national forests, wildlife refuges, monuments, and more than 40,000 state and local parks throughout the country.

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed the landmark Senate Bill 100 (SB 100) today, setting the Golden State on a path to generate 100 percent of its electricity from renewable and zero-carbon sources such as solar and wind by 2045.

California’s flagship public university system, with 238,000 students across 10 campuses, will run completely on electricity from clean, renewable energy by 2025, the University of California Office of the President announced today. The announcement, a first from one of the nation’s largest public university systems, builds on commitments from the UC system to mitigate climate change and meet carbon neutrality goals.

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Environment Minnesota Research and Policy Center gratefully accepts bequests, beneficiary designations of IRAs and life insurance, and gifts of securities on behalf of Environment America Research and Policy Center to support our work. Your gift will assure that we can continue to protect our air, water and open spaces for future generations.